


Comedy of Errors

by RogueJones



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy of Errors, F/M, Homophobia, Human, M/M, New Relationship, Non-Explicit Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26318854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueJones/pseuds/RogueJones
Summary: AU where Alec isn't out to his homophobic parents, and Izzy gets the idea for Clary to pose as Alec's girlfriend.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 12
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic started as JUST the paragraph about them getting hot chocolate and it morphed into a thing.  
> I may even post a second chapter... depending on how many comments I get.  
> So let me know if you like it and want more!  
> cheers

“I can’t believe you’re dragging me in there.”  
Alec says in a deadpan tone as he stands, arms crossed, looking up at the red neon sign above the club doors in front of him saying ‘Pandemonium’.  
Jace rolls his eyes and shares a look with Isabelle standing on Alec’s other side, before they both grab one of their brother’s arms and tug him forward.  
“My birthday, my rules, dude. You’re coming in and you’re drinking with me.”  
Alec shrugs off his sibling’s hold but walks with them towards the blacked out double doors.  
“Who knows, you might even have some fun.”  
Jace adds with a wink as he holds the door open for them.  
Inside, Alec cringes at the overly loud music and the lack of personal space as he follows Izzy and Jace towards an empty booth near the back of the club. Jace drops his jacket in the booth and immediately leaves to get them drinks as Izzy leans towards Alec to talk over the music and tells him about the club, mistaking him for someone who cares.  
“I met the owner when my roommate came here for her birthday. She knows the owner.”  
Jace returns with his arms full of drinks, yelling over the din that more are on their way before dropping down onto the cracked vinyl booth seat beside Alec with a grin.  
Alec heaves a sigh and resignedly grabs a beer from the table.  
“Can we just skip to the part where you two find someone to take home for the night and ditch me?”  
Alec says loudly, aware that his siblings still can’t hear him, as Izzy jumps up saying she’s going to go dance and Jace leans over to clink his glass against Alec’s.  
“Happy birthday, Jace.”  
Alec smiles at his adoptive brother and Jace grins wider as he thanks Alec, even as his eyes scan the room.  
Wincing at the taste of cheap beer, Alec shakes his head as Jace’s eyes settle on a target over Alec’s right shoulder.  
“I’ll be right back.”  
Jace says and Alec nods like he believes him as he pulls out his phone and starts going over some work numbers on his phone, frowning at the lower-than-expected number of memberships this month for the gym he manages.  
Izzy wanders back to their table every so often and Alec sees glimpses of Jace with a petite blonde girl around the club but Alec mostly just ignores the beer in front of him and does as much work as he can on his phone.  
Hours later, Izzy is the center of attention on the dance floor and Jace is drunkenly making out with the blonde girl, when a voice makes Alec look up.  
“I’m trying not to take personal offense to how bored you look in my club.”  
Alec glances up from his phone and feels his mouth drop slightly at the beautiful man leaning against the side of the booth, swirling a martini glass in his hand. He’s wearing a sheer black button shirt, tight black leather pants, dark eye makeup and is covered in rings, necklaces and a couple earrings. His hair is gravity defying and stylish and Alec immediately wants to run his hands through it.  
“Uhhh… what?”  
Alec says dumbly and mentally cringes at his response until the beautiful man gestures to the seat beside Alec in question and Alec nods enthusiastically, scooching over slightly.  
“I said, I’m trying not to take personal offense to how bored you look in my club.”  
Alec blinks but honestly has no response to that as the other man sits smiling at him.  
“I’m Magnus Bane. I own Pandemonium.”  
He clarifies and Alec can feel his cheeks redden.  
“I, no, sorry. It’s, uh, It’s great.”  
He stutters, gesturing around him at the club but Magnus just smiles indulgingly at Alec.  
“I take it you’re not a regular club goer. Friends dragged you out for a night on the town, did they?”  
Alec tries for a charming smile but fears his face is doing something wrong.  
His eyes catch on Jace across the room and all semblance of a smile vanishes as Alec slides out the other side of the booth without taking his eyes off the group of angry-looking guys starting to surround a cocky-looking Jace with his arm still draped over the blonde.  
“Sorry, I’ve gotta go before my brother starts a fight in your club.”  
Alec manages to intercede on Jace’s behalf and placate the blonde’s jealous boyfriend and his friends before violence brakes out.  
Annoyed at being cockblocked by his brother’s drunken antics, Alec drops Jace roughly onto the sidewalk to wait for the uber as he gets a text from Izzy saying she’s good and to take off without her, she’ll text them later.  
“You’re lucky it’s your birthday or I would have had a drink with the hot dude at my table and let those idiots kick your ass.”  
Alec grumbles as he spots the uber and heaves Jace to his feet.

***

Alec is sitting behind the desk in his office at the back of Idris Gym going over paperwork, as Izzy perches on the corner of the desk and Jace lies sprawled, half-conscious on the couch across the room.  
“I should have let them kick your ass.”  
Jace groans at Alec’s comment, making him smirk at his brother’s pain as Izzy chuckles.  
“She told you she had a boyfriend, Jace. But you kept flirting.”  
Jace pries one eye open to state his defence.  
“Hey, she was flirting right back and pulled me down that back hallway to make out with me before her Neanderthal of a boyfriend showed up.”  
Alec and Izzy share a significant look before leaving they’re adoptive brother to his karmic hangover and Izzy sighs.  
“So, Mom and Dad called me this morning saying they’ll be home at the house for a week over Christmas and are insisting that we all stay there while they’re home.”  
Izzy says in a laboured tone as she idly plays with stuff on Alec’s desk and Jace groans again from across the room.  
Alec has to agree with his brother’s non-verbal comment.  
Robert and Maryse Lightwood are good people and love their children very much, but they can be extremely judgemental and opinionated when it comes to their children’s lives. They travel all over the world for work now that their kids are grown up, but insist on catching up a few times a year when they’re in town.  
“A whole week of pretending to be something we’re not. Wonderful.”  
Jace says with his eyes closed and his head tipped back.  
Alec stares at his desk, not seeing it.  
“At least you don’t have to pretend to be straight for a whole week.”  
He mutters and Izzy gives him a sad look of agreement.  
In high school, Izzy was the first person that Alec came out to and she never told another soul until Alec included Jace in his secret a year later. He never dared tell anyone else his secret until he left for college and with the new freedom of anonymity, Alec tentatively explored a little more of his sexuality with a few discreet relationships.  
The relationships never lasted once his partner realized that Alec had no intention of introducing them to his family, but Alec hadn’t felt like any of them were worth the family drama it would cause.  
“It’s bad enough trying to pretend I’m a virgin and am dutifully looking for a husband.”  
Izzy comments and the siblings all chuckle briefly and fall silent.  
Alec looks up when Izzy hops off the desk to start pacing the room with a thoughtful look.  
“What if we made it more fun this year.”  
She says and Alec goes tense at her tone. The mischievousness in her voice never leads to anything good, in Alec’s experience.  
“What do you mean?”  
Jace asks, intrigued and Alec’s bad feeling intensifies.  
“I mean we give them what they want, so they stop hounding us.”  
Izzy says with a growing grin and Alec pins her with a hard stare.  
“I don’t like the sound of this.  
“No, no, listen. Mom and Dad are starting to wonder about you and honestly it was bound to happen, but if you come home with a girl on your arm…”  
She lets the idea dangle there and Alec furrows his brow as his eyes slide over to an excited looking Jace.  
“That’s a great idea, Iz. And if you bring a man home, it could work for you too.”  
Isabelle and Alec both look over at him with raised brows and Jace grins back.  
“Don’t look at me like that. If I did it, Robert and Maryse would know something’s up.”  
Alec and Izzy look at each other and silently concede Jace’s point.  
“That’s true. I think they gave up on you when they caught you trying to sneak those two cheerleaders out of the house in high school.”  
Izzy is staring at Alec with an expectant grin and Alec sighs loudly with a sour look on his face.  
“Fine. If it gets Mom and Dad off my back… I’ll do it.”  
Izzy is nearly vibrating with excitement and moving towards the door before Alec can change his mind.  
“Okay, leave everything to me.”  
Alec drops his face to his hands on his desk when she leaves.  
“I already regret this.”  
Jace just laughs loudly at him until Alec throws a pen at him.

***

The day before their charade is due to begin at the Lightwood manor, Alec meets Izzy at her apartment downtown.  
“Okay, Alec, meet your new girlfriend, Clary Fairchild.”  
Izzy announces grandly and she holds out her hands as her roommate walks out of her room, laughing.  
“Wait, her?!”  
Alec’s face is twisted in disgust and Clary glares at him, mostly unoffended.  
“I’m gonna ignore that comment, Alec.”  
Alec has the decency to look slightly bashful but steps towards Izzy and opens his mouth to protest again, but Izzy cuts him off.  
“Alec! Clary is perfect. She’s pretty, smart and willing to put up with your grumpy ass for a week for only a hundred dollars worth of art supplies.”  
She says with a smile and a shared giggle with Clary.  
Alec struggles for a semi-nice way to decline.  
“But she’s… short.”  
He finishes lamely and then sighs in resignation at the two women staring at him with matching annoyed expressions and hands on their hips.  
“Alright, fine.”  
Izzy grins.  
“Good. Now show me your best boyfriend behaviour.”  
She shoves Alec over to stand beside Clary and he looks down at the redhead with a pinched, dubious look. Clary glances up at him with a glowing smile and all Alec can think is, ‘yep, I’m definitely gay’, as he tries to smile back in a convincing way.  
Izzy is looking at him with disapproval as she crosses her arms.  
“C’mon Alec. At least try to look at her like you want to kiss her.”  
Her eyes light up as she adds on with a giggle.  
“Pretend she’s… Chris Hemsworth or something.”  
Alec gives his sister an intensely sceptical look.  
“She’d have to be twice as tall.”  
He says sardonically and the girls huff in annoyance.  
“Fine, fine.”  
He says and turns towards Clary, trying to picture her as an attractive man. An image of the club owner from the other night pops into his head and Alec steps in close to lean down and brush his fingers across Clary’s neck as he places a gentle kiss on her cheek.  
Alec leans back again and looks over to find a beaming Izzy.  
“Ohhh, that was perfect, Alec!”  
Alec thought it felt weird but for the sake of this farce, he would defer to Izzy’s judgement.  
Not for the first time, Alec curses Jace for denying him the opportunity to get the beautiful man’s name and number.

***

“It’s not too late to back out of this.”  
Alec says as he opens the uber door for Clary and they start towards the front door of the Lightwood manor.  
“Relax Alec. Just try not to flinch when I touch you and I’ll do the rest, okay?”  
Clary says with a giggle as Alec rings the doorbell and Clary slides an arm around his waist, forcing him to rest his arm over her shoulders awkwardly.  
His mother opens the door with a big smile and blinks in mild surprise to see her son standing there with a girl under his arm.  
“Mom! Merry Christmas.”  
Alec releases Clary to lean in and give his mother a kiss on the cheek and a hug.  
“Merry Christmas, Alec.”  
Maryse says, returning the hug before her eyes slide back to Clary.  
“Isabelle mentioned you might be bringing someone.”  
She says with a smile.  
“Oh, right. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Clary Fairchild.”  
Alec says quickly and steps back to hover a hand behind Clary’s back as she smiles sweetly at his mother and holds out a hand.  
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Mrs. Lightwood.”  
Alec feels a pang of guilt as his mother smiles back at Clary and excitedly leads her inside the house, chatting to her like an old friend. He walks in behind the women and shrugs off his jacket to toss it over a bench in the entryway before following them towards the sitting room.  
Alec steps through the doorway, into the cozy room with over-stuffed armchairs and couches surrounding a roaring fireplace and he stops dead with his heart in his throat at the scene before him.  
“Alec?”  
Clary says with a tinge of concern as she sidles back to put a hand on his arm when he doesn’t move or speak for several long seconds.  
But Alec’s gaze is frozen on the man sitting, snuggled up next to his sister on the antique couch. He’s wearing an expensive-looking dark suit, skipped the eyeliner and his hair is slicked down but it’s unmistakeably the club owner of Pandemonium sitting in front of him.  
Alec is vaguely aware that he’s lost all ability to function and suddenly snaps himself out of it to move his gaze to a smug-faced Isabelle.  
His mother, misunderstanding the situation, looks at Alec.  
“Oh, have you met Isabelle’s boyfriend before?”  
Alec forces his gaze to his mother and takes a deep breath.  
“What? Yes.”  
He manages to get out before Clary steps in to save him with a charming laugh.  
“Yes, Alec met Magnus at our apartment when he came to visit me after class one day. Magnus had just shown up to take Isabelle out for dinner.”  
Maryse seems to buy the story and turns towards the bar in the corner and Alec snaps an angry glare towards his sister with a silent threat.  
Jace thankfully breaks the tension by choosing that moment to make his entrance.  
“Mom! Merry Christmas!”  
He says loudly as he walks over to hug their mother tightly and makes her giggle with a big kiss to her cheek.  
“Oh, Jace!”  
Alec moves away from Clary to hover near the fireplace, pointedly ignoring everyone else as he tries to get his nerves under control. He’s vaguely aware of Clary plunking down onto the couch on the other side of Isabelle, but all thoughts of the others in the room vanish as a wave of spicy cologne wafts across his senses a moment before Magnus appears in his vision and Alec’s breathing seems to halt almost completely as the other man murmurs quietly to him with a playful smirk.  
“You alright, pretty boy?”  
Magnus says while Maryse is occupied by Jace’s antics and Alec bites down hard on his bottom lip, dragging his gaze away from Magnus’ soft-looking mouth.  
“Sorry. I was just, uh, not expecting to see you here.”  
Alec cringes at the hitch in his voice as Magnus gives him an amused but slightly pitying look.  
“I can make excuses and leave if that’s what you’d prefer.”  
Alec’s response is instantaneous.  
“No!”  
A quick look of surprise crosses Magnus’ face before it settles back into a small smirk.  
“Very well.”  
He looks like he wants say more but his eyes slide over to where Maryse is handing out drinks and he gives Alec a warm glance before sashaying back over to reclaim his place beside Isabelle.  
Alec watches Magnus effortlessly drape an arm around his sister and nuzzles her neck affectionately, making Alec feel slightly sick and very confused.  
Robert joins them for dinner in the dining room later, making excuses about pressing business and the charade continues as Alec sits beside Clary and tries to avoid looking at Magnus across the table.  
Jace starts talking to Clary and Alec is thankful for the reprieve.  
He never imagined his week would start like this and his head is still spinning slightly when Izzy starts explaining how she met Magnus.  
“And of course, the first time Alec came over to the apartment, he met Clary and was completely smitten with her.”  
Sensing a silent cue, Alec’s head snaps up from where he was staring at the salad in front of him and he forces a smile.  
“They were both so shy in front of each other, but Alec kept finding excuses to visit and finally he summoned up the courage to ask her out.”  
Izzy goes on and Clary leans over to hug Alec’s arm and beams up at him.  
“I was so happy when he did!”  
She says and Alec forces a wider smile onto his face and leans towards her place a kiss to the top of her head. His eyes involuntarily slide to where Magnus is watching him, and Alec sees the sneaky smirk the other man hides behind his wineglass.  
After dinner, Alec excuses himself, claiming exhaustion after a long day. Bolting up the curved staircase towards his old bedroom he thanks the fates that his parents would have insisted that Clary have her own room, far from his.  
Closing the door behind him, Alec takes a deep breath and shakes his head at the comedy of errors that his life has become.  
He never should have let Isabelle talk him into this, he thinks as Alec faceplants onto his king-size bed fully clothed. 

***

Feeling groggy as hell the next morning, Alec rolls out of bed and starts stripping off his clothes from the night before until he’s down to his undone suit pants as he wanders in a daze into the bathroom he shares with the empty bedroom on the other side.  
He opens the door, steam comes wafting out, and Alec chokes on his yawn as Magnus stands at the bathroom mirror wearing only a towel around his hips, clearly fresh from the shower.  
“Holy shit!”  
Alec says too loudly, and Magnus turns to pin him with a surprised but cheeky grin. Feeling Magnus’ appreciative gaze rake down his body, Alec can’t help but do the same. Magnus was the sexiest man he’d ever seen outside a magazine or TV, with a perfectly sculpted body and Alec’s body was very rapidly showing his appreciation.  
“Alexander. I’m sorry, I thought I’d locked that door.”  
Without a word, Alec turns around and slides the door closed behind him before leaning against it, panting.  
Isabelle, you are definitely forgiven.

***

Skipping his shower, Alec throws on some sweats and heads downstairs to corner Izzy at the coffee machine.  
“What the fuck were you thinking?”  
He says at her ear as he towers over her from behind and Izzy turns after a moment with a cup of coffee in her hands and a devious grin.  
“What do you mean?”  
Alec’s jaw clenches at her coy smugness.  
“I mean are you trying to get me busted by Mom and Dad?”  
Izzy takes pity on her obviously stressed out brother and chuckles.  
“After Jace’s birthday, Magnus called me to ask about you and I mentioned our little ploy to get Mom and Dad off your back and he volunteered to be my pretend boyfriend.”  
“He asked about me?”  
Alec asks quietly, completely missing the rest of what Isabelle said and she rolls her eyes.  
“Yes. He likes you and Magnus is always up for a bit of mischief.”  
Alec has a dopey smile on his face for a moment before he shakes himself and refocuses on Izzy.  
“Well, congratulations on picking the one guy that seems to short circuit my brain. I just walked into my bathroom upstairs to find him standing there in a towel and I nearly ca—”  
Alec cuts himself off with a deep breath and backs up a step as the image of Magnus in a towel takes over his brain again.  
Izzy is trying very hard not to laugh and lays a hand on his arm.  
“I’m sorry, Alec. I honestly didn’t think Magnus being here would make you into such a gay disaster.”  
She’s losing the battle with her mirth and Alec glares at her as he crosses his arms.  
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try to run interference as much as I can, but you need to focus.”  
Alec is nodding seriously.  
“Yeah, I’m gonna go for a run and try to clear my head.”  
Without waiting for a response, Alec throws open the kitchen door and strides purposefully outside, followed by Isabelle’s hearty laugh.

***

Alec feels a bit calmer when he returns to the house and jogs up to the back door of the manor.  
He can do this.  
Act like he’s into Clary and keep his cool around Magnus.  
Yeah, he’s got this.  
Alec walks through the kitchen door and nearly collides with Magnus by the coffee machine.  
Fuck.  
What was he supposed to be doing?  
Jace, who had been talking to Magnus from his seat at the kitchen table beside Clary laughs loudly at his brother.  
“Relax Alec. Mom and Dad ran into the city for work. They’ll be back around noon.”  
Clary clears her throat and Alec’s brow lowers suspiciously at how she leans towards Jace as she speaks.  
“That gives us time to come up with a game plan for the rest of the day.”  
Magnus grabs Alec’s attention away from the increasingly cosiness at the kitchen table.  
“And it gives me the opportunity to get to know Alexander better.”  
He can feel the dopey grin back on his face but can’t seem to help it as Magnus’s face turns mockingly serious.  
“You know, my girlfriend’s brother should probably vet me properly.”  
He says with a smirk and then lowers his voice so that only Alec can hear him.  
“And thoroughly.”  
He adds with a saucy wink and Alec leans a shoulder against the wall to move closer to Magnus.  
“Can never be too careful…”  
Alec applauds himself for that line and Magnus steps even closer to respond when Izzy comes barrelling through the swinging kitchen door.  
“Mom forgot somethingggg…”  
She whisper-yells in warning and Alec springs back from Magnus in time to notice Jace jumping up from the table and away from Clary.  
Maryse walks through the door a few seconds after Isabelle and gives them all a curious look before grabbing her purse off the counter beside the coffee maker.  
“I’ll see you all for a late lunch.”  
She says and everyone’s overly exuberant agreement has her eyebrows shooting up, but she doesn’t comment as she leaves the room and a few seconds later all five of them let out a breath of relief.  
“That was close.”  
Clary says, stating the obvious and they all sit down at the table to scheme.  
Magnus crowds in next to Alec and Jace turns his most charming smile towards Clary as she moves her chair closer.  
Izzy rolls her eyes at them all.  
“You people are pathetic.”

***

The rest of the day goes by flawlessly and Alec is smirking to himself in his room late that night over his performance as he stares at the bathroom door and his thoughts turn to the man on the other side of the bathroom. After a few moments of debating with himself, Alec summons the courage to walk through the bathroom to knock on the adjoining door.  
“Enter.”  
Alec hears from the other side of the door and he slides the pocket door open to lean against the doorframe.  
“Alexander. What can I do for you?”  
Magnus is lounging against the headboard of the guest bed, reading with a drink in his hand and Alec suddenly forgets the words he’d hastily planned to say.  
“I… I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, watch a movie. With me… In my room. If you want.”  
Magnus smiles up at Alec indulgently and snaps his book shut before hopping off the bed to walk over and stand close to Alec, looking up only slightly to meet his eyes.  
“I would be delighted.”  
Alec grins excitedly and backs away through the bathroom to his bedroom with Magnus following closely behind. He grabs up the remote from the bedside table as Magnus settles down on Alec’s bed and Alec can barely contain his excitement as he lowers himself down onto the bed next to him.  
“So, what kind of movies do you like?”  
Alec asks with a smile and Magnus smiles back at him.  
“To be honest, I was rather hoping not to watch the television much at all.”  
Alec’s gaze drops to Magnus’ mouth and he blindly presses buttons on the remote before tossing it aside and filling his hands with Magnus’ beautiful smiling face, tugging him closer. Their lips meet and Alec’s breath catches for a moment before he softly groans into Magnus’ mouth.  
Neither of them wants to rush anything so Alec takes his time tasting Magnus and revels in the feelings running through him from this gorgeous man kissing him.  
Pausing to take a breath, Alec grins and Magnus quirks his head in question.  
“I just realized that I’ve snuck a boy into my childhood bedroom to make out with.”  
Magnus and Alec smother their chuckles.  
“I take it you never did that when you lived here?”  
Alec shakes his head and drops his face with a slight blush.  
“No. I didn’t tell anyone but Izzy, and then Jace, in high school and I didn’t even try to kiss a boy until I was in college.”  
Alec can feel Magnus tense slightly beside him and looks up again to see a hesitant look on his face.  
“But you have kissed a man before?”  
Alec smiles easily and huffs a laugh.  
“Yes. I had a few short-lived relationships in college, but never anything serious.”  
Magnus seems to relax slightly and Alec props himself up on an elbow to gaze at him.  
“What about you?”  
A light blush crosses Magnus’ face as he answers.  
“Oh, I’ve known what I was since I was quite small and never really shied away from exploring my sexuality.”  
Feeling slightly insecure now, Alec drops his eyes as the silence lengthens.  
“Look, I don’t care how many people you’ve been with.”  
He says finally with a determined tone and Magnus gives him a tentative smirk.  
“I don’t care how many people you haven’t been with.”  
Alec’s gaze drops back to Magnus’ lips a moment before he lunges forward to capture those lips again.  
Things are just starting to get heated when there’s a knock at Alec’s door before it flies open and Magnus dives over the side of the bed to fall on the floor. Alec is left lying on his bed, staring at Jace as his brother walks in and stops short.  
“Uh, sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be… busy.”  
Magnus stands up and dusts off his shirt with an amused laugh as he walks around the bed and pats Jace on the shoulder as he passes him.  
“That’s quite alright, I believe things were just about to become a bit rushed, so your timing is impeccable.”  
Alec wants to argue vehemently but is still in a state of shock as Magnus leans down to press a firm kiss to Alec’s lips before winking at him and retreating through the bathroom, to his own room.  
Jace is smothering a huge grin as he waits for Magnus’ door to close and then he jumps onto Alec’s bed to laugh and Alec flops down backwards onto his back.  
“What do you want, ya fuckin’ cockblocker?”  
Alec says quietly without venom and Jace quiets slightly.  
“I’ve been thinking. I think you should take Clary on a date tomorrow.”  
Alec gives his brother a disgusted, incredulous look and Jace’s grin widens.  
“I mean you and Izzy should take Clary and Magnus on a double date.”  
Alec’s face is still contorted with confusion and Jace averts his eyes.  
“Look, I- I wanna to take Clary on a… date.”  
He finishes quietly and Alec rolls his eyes.  
“If you wanna bang Izzy’s roommate, talk to Izzy.”  
Jace shifts on the bed uncomfortably for a while until Alec looks over at him.  
“What’s wrong with you?”  
With a loud sigh, Jace turns onto his side to talk to Alec.  
“Clary is amazing and she’s the first girl I actually want to take on a real date.”  
Alec stares at his brother for several seconds before pursing his lips and narrowing his gaze seriously.  
“What?”  
Jace asks self-consciously and Alec’s expression doesn’t change.  
“I’m waiting for the punchline.”  
Annoyance crosses Jace’s face and Alec smirks.  
“Actually, I was thinking the same thing about Magnus.”  
He says quietly, glancing towards the adjoining bathroom before looking back at Jace.  
“I’m in. What should we do?”  
Jace ponders for a moment before answering.  
“Well, as I understand it, these things usually involve food of some kind.”  
Alec stares at his brother for a moment.  
“We need Izzy.”  
The boys both launch off the bed and start sneaking down the hallways towards Isabelle’s room.

***

The next day Alec is bundled up with the rest of them, walking around New York with Jace, Izzy, Clary and Magnus drinking hot chocolate. Izzy casually points out that Alec has a bit of chocolate on the corner of his mouth and before anyone can do anything about it, Magnus grabs Alec’s arm and leans in to lick it off.  
Everyone pauses in surprise and Alec stares at Magnus’ smug face with shock for a few long seconds before darting a hand out to fist it in Magnus’ jacket and yanks him closer, to plant a deep, passionate, full body contact, kiss on him, lasting almost half a minute.  
Alec lets go of him suddenly and pretends like it never happened as he takes another sip of chocolate and strolls away down the street again, leaving a rather stunned Magnus in his wake.  
After a few seconds of recovery, Magnus growls Alec’s name from behind him and with a huge grin Alec takes off running with Magnus in pursuit as Izzy, Jace and Clary dissolve into laughter.  
Alec lets Magnus catch him a couple blocks up and Magnus takes Alec’s hand and leads him around the corner of an alley to back him against a brick wall and kiss him thoroughly.  
Izzy’s voice cuts through the lustful haze covering Alec’s mind as he kisses Magnus.  
“It’s official. I’m the best matchmaker ever.”  
Magnus pulls away from Alec and they grin at each other, panting.  
“Darling, you have free entry to my club for life for this devious scheme.”  
He says as he and Alec turn to re-join Isabelle and Alec glances down at their still-clasped hands fondly.  
“Where are Jace and Clary?”  
Izzy spins around and looks back the way they came to find Jace with his arm over Clary’s shoulders, stopped in front of an art gallery and looking incredibly cozy.  
“Matchmaker extraordinaire, it seems.”  
Magnus comments and Izzy just smiles smugly.

***

Later that night, after another successful dinner of deception, Alec is leaning against the headboard of his bed with Magnus snuggled up under his arm, his head resting on Alec’s chest, as both of them watch a movie.  
Magnus had stopped in the middle of rather intense make out session to ask if they could take things a bit slower and Alec had smiled and agreed without protest. They’d rebuttoned a few buttons that had come undone by busy fingers, and turned on a movie before snuggling up together.

The next thing Alec knows, it’s daylight and his Mother is knocking on his bedroom door. His eyes go wide as he feels Magnus go suddenly tense from where he’s tangled up in Alec, and they both scramble to separate. Magnus manages to slip through the bathroom door as Alec’s bedroom door slowly opens.  
“Sorry, Alec. I wasn’t sure if you were awake.”  
Alec is trying to act as calm as he can as his mother comes in the room to sit on the edge of his bed.  
“Is everything alright with Clary?”  
She asks without preamble and Alec fumbles for a response.  
“As far as I know.”  
He says in a gravelly morning voice as he tugs the bedsheets flat from where the imprint of another body is clearly visible.  
“Okay, I just wondered since I’ve seen your brother hovering around her, and you know how he is with girls. I just don’t want anything to happen that puts a wedge between you two.”  
Alec smiles at his mother.  
“I can safely say that I am not worried about Jace with Clary, Mom.”  
Maryse smiles at Alec and leans over to kiss his cheek before standing to leave.  
“I like that new cologne, Alec. I think Magnus wears the same one.”  
She says as she leaves the room and Alec is left staring awkwardly at the door.

***

Over the next few days, things with Magnus grow steadily, with no more close calls. It looks like Izzy’s improbable plan may actually work since there’s only one more day left until their parents leave for Los Angeles.  
Alec is having mixed feelings about the week being over. He and Magnus have been having an amazing time together and the sneaking around has added a degree of fun to their growing relationship.  
They are all due to leave the manor tomorrow around noon and Alec waits in his room, thinking before he hears Magnus’ bedroom door close. Jumping up, he’s halfway across the bathroom when the door opens and Magnus rushes towards him to crush their lips together in a frenzy.  
“I locked the door this time.”  
The tension between them has been building all week and now Alec is releasing it as they battle for dominance and start pulling at each other’s clothing. Magnus is pulling the shirt over Alec’s head and they are both giggling like idiots as they stumble blindly backwards in search of Alec’s bed, their lips barely parting.  
A half-naked Alec falls backwards onto the bed, pulling Magnus with him before he tugs Magnus’ shirt free of his pants and smooths his hands over the hard abs hidden under it.  
Magnus’ kisses have started to stray from Alec’s mouth, down his neck and Alec is having a hard time concentrating on getting Magnus’ clothes off. Magnus leaves a wet trail of kisses and love bites down Alec’s throat and chest before he feels hands quickly ripping open his belt and the front of his pants.  
There’s a pause and Alec opens his eyes to look down at Magnus kneeling between his legs, his hands braced on Alec’s bare stomach.  
“Alexander, if you want to stop—”  
Alec sits up instantly to kiss Magnus deeply, cutting off his words.  
“Magnus, you have nothing to worry about. I want this.”  
He can feel Magnus smile against his lips before the other man places a hand on his chest and pushes him back again to lie against the pillows. Returning to his path of kisses, Magnus finishes opening the front of Alec’s pants and then Alec is grabbing a pillow from under him to smother a groan.  
Magnus’ mouth is like heaven.  
Absolute heaven and if he doesn’t let up slightly, heaven will be there and gone in a very short amount of time.  
“M-Magnus… I need to slow…”  
Magnus gives Alec one more long lick and slides up his body to kiss him deeply, his many necklaces dragging across Alec’s chest as he hovers over him.  
“Hmm, I suppose a short conversation is in order at this point.”  
Magnus teases and Alec gives him a lop-sided grin.  
“I’m clean. Tested last month.”  
He says and Magnus nods.  
“Same. But there’s another question that seems pertinent.”  
He says leadingly and Alec pants as he looks up at Magnus quizzically.  
“Uh, I don’t think there’s a more delicate way to ask, but… do you prefer top or bottom?”  
Magnus asks with a gentle smirk and a quick peck to Alec’s lips as he chuckles and slides a hand around Magnus’ neck to pull him closer and deepen the kiss.  
“Either. Both. What do you prefer?”  
He asks as he moves to nibble Magnus’ ear.  
“Both sounds good. We don’t have anywhere to be, do we?”  
Alec grins up at him.  
“As long as we’re quiet and don’t get caught.”  
Magnus dives in for another kiss and is wriggling around tugging Alec’s pants off before throwing them across the room, his shirt following closely behind.  
Alec, being in great shape, easily grabs Magnus and flips them over until their positions are reversed and starts giving Magnus the same treatment he’s already received.  
Many minutes later, both boys are completely naked and panting hard as Alec pumps himself inside Magnus, gripping the other man’s cock and making him whimper into a pillow.  
Alec could stay there forever, he decides as he takes a moment from his mission to look down at the gorgeous man under him and finds Magnus watching him intently through his pleasure.  
Alec holds Magnus’ eyes as he quickens his pace and Alec has to clench his jaw against the deep moan that bubbles up as he finds his release a moment before Magnus.  
Collapsing forward slightly, Alec braces himself on Magnus’ chest as they both catch their breath.  
He gently pulls himself out and flops sideways to lie beside his lover on the bed.  
“Wow. That was… wow.”  
He stammers and Magnus chuckles.  
“I whole-heartedly agree with that assessment.”  
Magnus’ arm behind Alec’s head curls in, bringing him in closer to Magnus for a long, languid kiss.  
Alec is smiling when they break apart and then his brow furrows.  
“Just so we’re on the same page, I want to do that again after tonight. A lot.”  
He says and holds his breath for a moment, waiting for Magnus to respond.  
“I look forward to not having to be so quiet.”  
Alec grin is ridiculously big as they both smile contently at the ceiling.  
Feeling quite pleased with himself, Alec pushes himself slightly outside his comfort zone.  
“Quick question. What’s your stance on shower sex, Mr. Bane?”  
He says with a semi-serious voice and Magnus responds in kind.  
“I am very much for it, Mr. Lightwood.”  
Alec sits up to grin down at Magnus.  
“After you.”  
He says, gesturing towards the bathroom and Magnus slides out of the sheets and waits for Alec to join him as they kiss their way towards the shower.

***

Not touching Magnus all morning is pure torture for Alec and it’s starting to bother him.  
Clary is glued to his side as they all stand in the Lightwood Manor entryway and Alec can’t keep his eyes off Magnus as Robert is talking about getting together more often.  
Suddenly, Alec’s gaze intensifies, his brow furrows as his arm drops from around Clary.  
He can’t stand it anymore.  
Alec strides the few feet across the entryway and grabs Magnus by the lapels of his jacket and pulls him in for a passionate kiss.  
There is dead silence as Alec kisses Magnus and after a few moments, Alec leans back to stare into Magnus’ warm brown eyes.  
“What did I just do?”  
He murmurs lowly before turning to look at his gobsmacked family.  
Izzy has her hands over her mouth, covering an awe-stuck smile, Jace is grinning like an idiot and Clary is smiling sweetly at them.  
Maryse and Robert are both staring bug-eyed and open-mouthed at their son and Alec feels Magnus’ hand slide into his in solidarity.  
“Mom, Dad… I’ve known I was gay since I was thirteen and it’s past time I was up front about it, but I’ve honestly never met anyone worth the family drama before Magnus.”  
Magnus squeezes his hand and Alec turns to see tears starting in his lover’s eyes.  
Alec turns back to find that his mother has left the room, but his father is staring at the wall with a serious expression.  
“Your mother and I may need some time to process this.”  
He says before he turns and follows after his wife.  
Izzy and Jace both lunge forward and place a comforting hand on Alec’s arm.  
“I’m so proud of you, Alec! That was so brave!”  
Izzy gushes as she and Jace tug Alec towards the door.  
“That was amazing, dude!”  
Jace says, clapping a shell-shocked Alec on the back as they all file out the grand double doors towards the uber van.


	2. Big Talks and Big Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maryse returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't meant to be so angsty

Five months after Alec kissed his boyfriend in front of his extremely homophobic parents, he still hasn’t heard from them and is coming to terms with the fact that they may never want to speak to him again.  
It hurts.  
It hurts so much, but the one amazing thing that’s come from this is Magnus.  
They’ve been almost inseparable since that fateful week and Alec has more or less moved into Magnus’ studio apartment above Pandemonium.  
He’s sitting at the breakfast table wearing only an old pair of sweats, reading a news feed on his laptop when there’s a faint knock at the front door and Alec sips his coffee as he walks over to answer it.  
Alec opens the door after taking a big sip of coffee and nearly chokes on it as he sees his mother standing awkwardly in the hallway.  
“Mom…”  
He says in shock and Maryse fidgets uncomfortably.  
“Isabelle gave me Magnus’ address and said you’d probably be here.”  
She says by way of explanation and Alec stares at her for another few seconds before remembering himself.  
“Do you wanna come in?”  
He asks sceptically, but stands aside anyway and Maryse takes a few tentative steps across the threshold.  
“Let me just go grab a shirt. Um, make yourself comfortable.”  
Alec says as he rushes down the hall to Magnus’ bedroom to grab his t-shirt off the bed and back to find his mother looking around at the eclectic collection of artwork on the walls.  
“Magnus isn’t here, if that makes you more comfortable.”  
Alec offers and Maryse’s face snaps to his.  
“It doesn’t.”  
Alec drops his gaze to the floor and Maryse hurriedly corrects herself.  
“What I mean is, it really isn’t that you’re gay that bothers me.”  
His mother looks on the verge of tears and Alec takes a few steps towards her with open arms before second-guessing himself and thinking that maybe she wouldn’t want comfort from him.  
“It was that you felt you had to hide it from me for so long, the lengths you and your siblings went to, keeping it from me and your father.”  
The tears had begun, and Alec feels his own threatening to spill as he closes the distance to offer his mother a hug and Maryse looks up at her son with a devastated look as she falls into his arms.  
“I’m so sorry, Mom.”  
Alec whispers to her as she cries against his chest, and they stay like that for a very long time before they get themselves under control.  
“I should apologize to you. I gave you no reason to trust me with your secret, no reason to think I would accept you.”  
Maryse nods and pulls back from Alec to gather her thoughts and resumes studying the walls of the apartment. Alec watches her smile suddenly as she plucks something from the frame of the ornate mirror above the bar.  
It’s a photo strip of Alec and Magnus from their first official date and Alec smiles at the memory.  
“You look so happy. I haven’t seen you smile like that since you were little.”  
She carefully returns the photo strip to where she found it as Alec hears the door open behind him and he and Maryse turn to see Magnus glide through the door, in all his sparkly glory, his mohawk a mile high, eyeliner making those chocolate eyes pop, covered in rings and jewelry over his leather pants and an embroidered satin shirt.  
“Alexander, my love! I’ve discovered a wonderful food truck down in SoHo and I—”  
Magnus catches sight of Maryse in the room and freezes for a moment before his gaze darts to Alec’s face and then back to Maryse who’s attempting to smile at him.  
“Oh.”  
He says simply and then studies Alec’s face closely.  
“Are you alright?”  
Alec nods awkwardly.  
“Do you need me to stay or would you prefer I made myself scarce for a while?”  
Maryse surprises them both by stepping forward.  
“Please stay, Magnus. I feel I should thank you for being there for my son after I behaved so horribly at Christmas.”  
Magnus hesitates and then nods as he closes the door behind him.  
“No thanks necessary, Mrs. Lightwood. It was my privilege to help Alexander through this… tumultuous time.”  
Alec steps closer to Magnus and gently grabs his arm to pull him in for a sweet kiss on the side of his head before Magnus jolts into action.  
“Well, at least let me make you a drink. Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?”  
He asks with his usual charm and Maryse chuckles.  
“Tea, please. Earl Gray, if you have it.”  
Magnus winks at Alec and walks towards the kitchen as Maryse takes a deep breath and whips towards Alec again.  
“Your father and I are getting a divorce.”  
Alec’s smile drops completely, and he blinks rapidly at his mother, who’s brave front is clearly starting to crack. There’s the sound of a mug dropping and breaking on the floor in the kitchen, but Alec ignores it.  
“Mom… what?”  
Alec takes her hand and leads his mother to sit on the couch as she organizes her thoughts and Alec perches on the edge of the cushions beside her.  
“Robert has been having affairs for years but when he threatened to disown you for being gay, I decided it was the last straw.”  
Alec is in shock and from the corner of his eye, he sees Magnus in the doorway of the kitchen, watching him with a deeply concerned expression, kettle in his hand.  
“I had no idea things were so bad, Mom.”  
Alec says in shock and Maryse runs a loving hand through his dark hair.  
“I would never abandon you, baby. I only ever wanted you to be happy and now you’ve found someone who makes you happy.”  
Maryse is crying openly and Alec can feel the tears spilling down his cheeks as he lurches forward to hug his mother tightly.  
Alec has no idea how long they stay holding each other but the sound of the kettle whistling has them breaking apart to give each other watery smiles as Magnus returns with a tray of drinks and sets in on the coffee table.  
Maryse wipes her eyes and gratefully accepts a teacup from Magnus.  
“I suppose this will be a very long day since I still have your sister and brother to track down and talk to.”  
Alec sees Magnus’ head quirk with an idea and those chocolate brown eyes snap to his in question as he tips his head towards the apartment and finally Alec catches on.  
“Oh! Mom, why don’t we invite Jace and Izzy over here for dinner tonight?”  
Magnus winks and gives him the hand gesture for ‘perfect’ as Maryse takes a moment to think.  
“Would you mind?”  
She asks, her question directed at Magnus and he slaps a hand to his chest.  
“It would be my honour, Mrs. Lightwood.”  
Maryse smiles widely.  
“Please call me Maryse.”  
She corrects and Magnus leans over to take her hand and kisses her fingers.  
“Thank you, Maryse.”  
Magnus straightens and starts hurrying around excitedly as he talks.  
“If we’re to have a dinner party, I’ll start making arrangements.”  
He frowns at Alec as he rakes a gaze over him.  
“Alexander, you’ll need to clean yourself up. Shall we say seven’o’clock?”  
Alec is chuckling to himself as he stands and looks down at his mother with a smile.  
“I guess I’ve been told.”  
Maryse is giggling herself as she stands and slides her purse strap over her shoulder.  
“Well, I have a few errands to run, but Magnus, please let me know if I can do anything for tonight.”  
Magnus waves her off from across the room where he seems to be debating over silverware.  
“Just your darling self, Maryse.”  
She slips out the door with a grin and Alec strides purposefully over to Magnus and grabs his face to press a sweet, solid kiss to his lips.  
After a moment or three, Magnus looks up at Alec in question.  
“What was that for?”  
Alec is still smiling.  
“My Mom still loves me.”  
He says simply and Magnus smiles back at him as Alec’s mind switches tracks.  
“She’s really hurting now but she defended me to my Dad and chose me.”  
Magnus places his hands on Alec’s hips to nudge him closer.  
“She did, darling.”  
Alec kisses him again excitedly before breaking away to walk towards Magnus’ bedroom and the shower.  
“I need to clean up and get ready. I’ll call Jace and Izzy to tell them about tonight, I want to make it as easy as possible on Mom.”

***

At 7:20 that night, Jace finally arrives at Magnus’ apartment and Alec ushers him and Clary inside with an annoyed expression.  
“You couldn’t be on time for once?”  
He chastises and Jace rolls his eyes at his brother before walking over to hug his mother.  
Izzy is chatting to Magnus about a piece of art on the walls and Clary scoots around the brothers to join her.  
After a few minutes of hellos, Magnus announces that dinner is served, and they all move to take a seat at the lavishly decorated dinner table.  
“So, Mom, where’s Dad?”  
Isabelle asks after dinner has been served and half the people at the table pause before Maryse sets her cutlery back on the table and clasps her hands over her plate.  
“Your father will be staying in Los Angeles… indefinitely.”  
She begins and Isabelle and Jace share a cautious look.  
“What do you mean?”  
Jace probes and Maryse looks to Alec for courage and he gives her a bolstering smile.  
“Robert and I are getting a divorce.”  
Cutlery clatters onto Isabelle’s plate in her shock.  
“What?!”  
Isabelle’s face is one of shocked anger and Alec growls a warning.  
“Izzy…”  
Maryse intercedes.  
“No, Alec. Isabelle has every right to be angry with me. I’ve sprung this on all of you after months of silence.”  
Jace looks calm as he sits silently, still picking at his meal as Isabelle’s mouth opens and closes several times as she processes her shock.  
“Did he finally come clean? Or was it Alec that did it?”  
Jace says quietly and all faces turn to him as Clary lays a comforting hand on his arm.  
Maryse swallows noticeably and looks at her adoptive son sadly.  
“Both. But I’ve known about Robert’s… dalliances for years.”  
Everyone’s eyes are drawn to Isabelle as her chair flies backwards and she surges to her feet.  
“Are you kidding me?!”  
She yells at no one in particular.  
“He’s drilled into me for years about staying a fucking virgin and how sacred the sanctity of marriage is, and he’s been stepping out on you this whole time?!”  
The room is silent for a few moments until Isabelle bolts from the room, slamming the front door behind her.  
Alec sees Clary share a look with Jace and he nods at her with a small smile before she gets up and hurriedly apologizes to everyone before following after her roommate.  
The tension rachets down a few notches before Magnus pipes up.  
“Who’s ready for drinks?”  
A chorus of affirmatives goes around and Alec watches Jace closely as Magnus gets up to make everyone a strong drink at the bar.  
“Jace, you’re unusually quiet.”  
Jace nods slowly before he speaks.  
“I’ve known about Robert for a while.”  
Maryse’s mouth opens in surprise and Jace looks guiltily at the table.  
“We’ve had a… discussion about it in the past when I caught him with someone. He said he’d made a mistake and would come clean.”  
Jace’s eyes lift to look at his mother and Maryse smiles sadly at him.  
“Robert made a lot of ‘mistakes’.”  
Jace’s gaze drops back to the table.  
“I should have made him—”  
“No, Jace. None of this is your fault. Your father made those decisions all on his own.”  
Maryse is standing to walk around the table and crouches between her boys to place a hand on either of their shoulders.  
“Just like he made the decision not to accept Alec the way he is.”  
Jace’s miserable expression turns to look at Alec with disbelief.  
“Is that what happened? Really? Dad left us because Alec likes guys?!”  
He asks incredulously, his anger rising as Clary and Isabelle slip back through the front door and Isabelle walks back over to her family looking embarrassed.  
“It’s his loss. Our family is amazing and if he doesn’t want to be a part of it, we’re better off without him.”  
The entire Lightwood family stands for big hugs and then they settle back down into their chairs to finish dinner and Magnus puts a huge jug of sangria on the table with a wink to everyone.

***

Later that night, after everyone else has left, Alec is helping clean off the dinner table when Magnus puts a hand on his shoulder to halt him and pulls Alec out of his distracted reverie.  
“Alexander, are you alright?”  
Alec sighs loudly and drapes his arms over Magnus’ shoulders as he considers the question.  
“No. Not yet.”  
Magnus kisses Alec softly for a moment.  
“It still hurts that my Dad would just abandon us because of my sexuality.”  
He says and Magnus holds a comforting hand to Alec cheek.  
“It sounds like there were other long-standing factors involved and that your coming out was simply the catalyst for a desperately needed change.”  
Alec stares into Magnus’ warm brown eyes and the words are out of his mouth before he really thinks about them.  
“I am completely in love with you.”  
The surprise on Magnus’ face lasts for only a couple seconds before he smiles up at Alec.  
“I love you too, Alexander.”  
Alec lowers his face to kiss his boyfriend slowly and thoroughly, taking his time to try showing his love as best he can.  
He could kiss Magnus forever, there’s nothing else that gives him the same comfort when he’s hurting.  
Breaking their kiss reluctantly after a moment or three, Alec gazes at Magnus and smirks as he takes his hand and tugs on it to lead the man he loves towards his bedroom.  
The dishes can wait until tomorrow.


End file.
